Jayfall's Life Journey
Prologue Spottedfoot hovered over a tabby queen who was licking her new born kits. There was two, a healthy dark tabby tom and a smaller weaker-looking tabby and white she-kit with a brown tail. "Spottedfoot. Please get Swiftstar!" the tabby she-cat meowed. "Of course Willowdawn. I'll be right back." The tortoise-shell she-cat reasured the queen and padded out of the nursery. She walked up to a den that had a curtain of lichen hanging over the entrance. "Swiftstar!" Spottedfoot exclaimed quietly, "Your kits, they arrived." A brown tom with grey splotches scattered on his pelt exited the den, his eyes were wide with exitment. "Please let me see them Spottedfoot!" the tom meowed. Spottedfoot chuckled, "That's why I'm here. Follow me. Willowdawn is waiting." The two walked into the nursery where the tabby she-cat was laying, nursing her kits.Swiftstar rushed to her side. "They're beautiful aren't they?" Willowdawn said with an exasperated mew, she was tired. "They are Willowdawn! Have you decided names yet?" "Well... the tom could be Shadekit, and the she-kit could be... um..." "How about Jaykit?" Swiftstar suggested. "Perfect! Shadekit and Jaykit!" Willowdawn smiled with content and closed her eyes to take a well deserved rest. Swiftstar looked at Spottedfoot, who was sitting at the edge of the entrence. "Is it okay if I sleep beside her tonight?" he asked. "By all means. Go ahead. I'll be in my den. I'll check on Willowdawn tommorrow." Swiftstar nodded and curled up beside his mate and entered a deep and dreamless sleep. Chapter 1 "Come on Jaykit! Open your eyes! Willowdawn said I can't go out to play unless you open your eyes!" Jaykit heard a voice in front of her. "Don't rush your sister Shadekit! She'll open her eyes when she's ready too!" Jaykit listened for more voices but none came, so, hesitantly, she blinked open her eyes. Two cats were staring at her. A dark grey tabby tom, and a light grey queen. These must be Willowdawn and Shadekit! ''Jaykit thought. "Yeah!" mewed Shadekit, "You opened your... eyes?" the dark tabby looked confused, "Willowdawn, what colour is that?" The grey tabby queen looked at Shadekit, "What colour?" "The colour of Jaykit's eyes!" The queen looked at her kit and studied her for a moment. "IT's purple! That's an unusual colour for a cat's eyes," "What's wrong with purple?" Jaykit asked, staring at her mother's ''blue ''eyes. "Oh no young kit! There is nothing wrong with the colour purple! Now why don't you go play with Tawnykit. Frostkit, and Dustkit? I'm sure they'll play with you!" Shadekit nodded at his mother, "Come on Jaykit!" He rushed outside to play with the others, Jaykit was trying hard to keep up with his brothers fast running. ---- "Hey Shadekit! We're playing mouse tag! Wanna play?" a silvery grey she-kit asked. Shadekit nodded, "How do we play?" "Well there is one kit who is 'it' and the others are mice. The 'it' has to catch all the mice and the first mouse caught is th next 'it'." "Sounds like a fun game game Frostkit," mewed Jaykit, "Who's it?" "Dustkit said he would be it." mewled Frostkit, "Come on! Let's go hide! The game has already started!" The kits scattered around the camp. Dustkit sniffed around for the others. The first kit who was found was Tawnykit, his sister, then Shadekit and Jaykit, then Frostkit. They played three more rounds of mouse tag then got bored and went into the nursery. Frostkit, Dustkit, and Tawnykit's mother, Nightivy, was waiting for them. "There you are!" she meowed, "You three are becoming apprentices tomorrow! I need to make sure you look nice!" "Come on! That's tomorrow! You don't have to mess up our fur now!" Dustkit complained. "BUt NIghtivy," mewed Tawnykit, "I thought we still had to wait one more half moon to become apprentices!" "Swiftstar is making you apprentices early becuase we need the warriors." Nightivy explained as she licked Dustkit's fur. "Oh..." Jaykit walked up to Tawnykit, "You're lucky to be made apprentices early. Shadekit and I still have to wait another four moons before we become apprentices." "Thanks Jaykit. I'll look foreward to training with you if we get a chance!" Tawnykit laughed. "I'll be the best apprentice ever! All the other clans will be shaking in their flea-bitten skins when they hear my name!" Willowdawn came up behide her kit and laughed at her enthusiasm. "You and Shadekit still have a lot to learn before you become apprentices. And sometimes it's better to be loved than feared little one." Jaykit sighed, "I want to be an apprentice now!" "Don't worry Jaykit!" TAwnykit meowed, "You'll become an apprentice in no time!" Jaykit nodded, "Until than I'm gonna try and be a good kit, Willowdawn!" "No kit is perfect Jaykit, but it would nice to have some kits that would stay out of trouble once in a while." Willowdawn smiled, "Whay don't you and Shadekit get a mouse from the fresh-kill pile?" "Okay Willowdawn." Jaykit went to the fresh-kill pile and returned later with a plump juicy mouse. The two siblings ate their mouse greatfully. Jaykit ate slowy, savouring each flavourfull bite of the tender mouse. When they were full they snuggled into their nest for a nap. Their nest was the closest to the entrance. Jaykit stared outside at the highrock. Thinking that someday she would be standing there, her father giving her her apprentice name. ''I wonder what an apprentice ceremony will be like... ''she thought. And soon her thoughts became dreams and she fell into a deep sleep. Chapter 2 "Then I give you your apprentice name, Tawnypaw! May Starclan light your path to be a warrior. Your mentor will be Lilypetal." Swiftstar nodded his approval to the tortouse-shell she-cat and she bounded down the high rock to join her siblings who were already apprentices. A white and black she-cat with blue eyes touched noses with Tawnypaw. Jaykit watched the ceremony from the nursery. With NIghtivy's kits gone the nursery was much emptier and had more room than before. The little grey kit turned around and spoke to her brother. "Lets follow them out of the camp, Shadekit!" Jaykit whispered. The dark tabby shifted uncomfertably on his paws, "What if we get caught?" he quickly corrected himself, "I mean I do want to follow them, but, what ''if we get caught?" "Then we'll cross that road when we get there. We'll just tell them that we're going to the dirtplace. Then we'll follow Tawnykit and her siblings out of the camp!" "Alright but we'd better hurry. They're leaving already." Shadekit pointed a claw toward the entrance where six cats were preparing to leave the camp. "Willowdawn!" Jaykit called, "We need to use the dirt place!" Her mother called back, "Okay but don't be too long!" Jaykit nodded abruptly and motioned for Shadekit to follow her. They silently snuck out of he dirtplace and followed Tawnypaw's scent. Jaykit ran infront of her brother and looked at all the scenery. Trees hung above their heads and the ground seemed to sink underneath their paws. Puddles were scattered everywhere from last night's rain storm. Jaykit was careful not to step in any cause she hated getting her paws wet. Shadekit followed close behind, taking in all the new scents and sounds. It was the middle of greenleaf and the birds were in the trees chirping their songs of joy. "Jaykit!" Shadekit whispered, "I see them!" "Where?" Jaykit replied, looking around. "Over by that big oak tree!" Jaykit looked at where her brother was pointed, sure enough, there was the three siblings with their mentors. "Now we can follow them. But we have to keep a safe distance away from them!" The two kits followed the six cats up to Dayclan's borders. There were hardly any trees there to provide cover for Jaykit and Shadekit so they went further away from them as usual. "This is the Dayclan border." Jaykit heard Lilypetal say to her apprentice, "Dayclan usually only eats rabbits and birds." "Only rabbits and birds?" blurted Frostpaw, "I would hate to be in that clan!" Lilypetal smiled, her whiskered quivered and the smile vanished, "Everyone! Get into the forest!" "Why?" all the apprentices said at once. "Just go!" They ran into the trees where Jaykit and Shadekit were hiding. "Come Jaykit! They'll see us! Lets go into the moore!" Shadekit mewed. Jaykit shook her head feircly, "I don't want to go out into the moore if Lilypetal said something was out there!" "Well I'd rather not get caught," Shadekit ran out to the moore. "Wait Shadekit!" yelled Jaykit, "There's a hawk! That's what LIlypetal's warning was about! Get in the trees now!" Jaykit's warning came to late, a hawk swooped down and grabbed hold of Shadekit's tail. He shreiked and tryed to pull himself loose. Lilypetal came and dove after the hawk, missing it's tail by a mouse-length. The hawk was gone. It had taken Shadekit away. Chapter 3 Jaykit stood on the highrock. Swiftstar came up moments later. "Jaykit, you are now six moons old and are ready to begin your training. Your brother should be up here with you, but he will be watching from up in Starclan. The hawk that took his life will be killed once we find it's nest so no more kits will be taken. BUt, now it's time for your apprentice ceremony. Jaykit, from this moment on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Jaypaw. Your mentor will be Greyshallow." Swiftstar turned to face a grey she-cat, "You are ready to have an apprentice Greyshallow. I trust you to train my daughter well." The she-cat nodded and touched noses with Jaypaw as she came down from the highrock. Swiftstar, without another word, vanished into his den. The shock of Shadekit's untimely death had struck all the cats in the clan. Jaypaw knew that most of it was her fault, she had told him that they should follow Tawnypaw and her siblings. She shook her head, ridding any lasting thoughts of Shadekit. Greyshallow mewed sofly, "It won't do you any good to worry about Shadekit now. We have business to take care of. It'll distract you if you let your thoughts wander on anything but your training now. We'll start by going around the border. Come with me." Jaypaw nodded, she didn't feel like speaking right now. She just wanted to get on with her training and become a warrior. Greyshallow relaxed, "Don't worry. I won't bite you. Come on! A little exercise will lighten you up!" The grey she-cat gave chase to Jaypaw. Jaypaw shreiked and ran out of the camp as her mentor chased after her. "Don't try to run Jaypaw! I'll catch up to you in the end!" Greyshallow called out and Jaypaw mewled with happiness and determination. "Alright little kit! Stop here!" Greyshallow meowed, "This is where we'll start our training. Can you guess who's border this is?" Jaypaw sniffed the border and exclained, "Is it Dawnclan?" "Correctimundo! Now I'm gonna give you some quick trivia about this border so pay attention! You see the old oak tree over there in Dawnclan territory?" Jaypaw squinted and then said: "Yup!" "Well all that land up to the oak tree used to belong to us. Dawnclan fought us for it and won." "Those mousebrains! Why would they do that?" "Because they want more territory. Every clan wants more, more, more!" "Well when I'm a warrior no cat will dare take land from us! I'll take all of our land back!" "Oh really? What will you do when they kill you?" Jaypaw gave Greyshaalow a blank expression. "I'm just kidding! Come on I'll show you Sunclan borders!" ---- Jaypaw stretched her tired limbs and padded into the camp entrance, followed by Greyshallow. Her mentor had never had an apprentice before and was obviously excited about it judging by her hyperactive personality. The tour around the territory tired Jaypaw out almost entirely. She only had enough energy to make it back to camp, grab a mouse, and retreat into the apprentices den. The den was full because of Tawnypaw, Frostpaw, and Dustpaw. But to Jaypaw it seemed empty without Shadekit. She sighed, dismissing the thought as she went into a deep sleep. Chapter 4 Jaypaw grabbed a quick bite to eat and rushed outside to where her mentor was waiting. They would finally begin training today and Jaypaw was eager to get started. "We'll train at the training hollow." meowed Greyshallow. "Well duh!" Frostpaw meowed scarcasticly. All the apprentices were training together. Greyshallow rolled her eyes, "We can do without the scarcasim missy!" "All right," Frostpaw mewed feebley, "Let's go then." ---- "Put more effort into it Dustpaw!" Ferretwhisker, Dustpaw's mentor, hissed lightly. The sandy coloured tom nodded and continued on with his practice with more precise. Jaypaw was in one corner of the training hollow with Tawnypaw. The two were battling eachother under supervision of Greyshallow. Tawnypaw's mentor was sick from eating a bad peice of fresh-kill so he couldn't attend the practice. "Good job both of you!" shouted Greyshallow, "Tawnypaw, try and knock Jaypaw off her feet with your tail." "Okay!" Tawnypaw meowed and did as she was asked. Jaypaw landed with a thud on the dirt loor of the forest. "Ouch! YOu didn't need to do it that hard." Jaypaw hissed as she licked her chest. "Ur... sorry Jaypaw." "That's okay." Greyshallow padded up to the she-cats. "You did well. Now have a break. Dustpaw and Frostpaw should be done soon." "Greyshallow!" it was Ferretwhisker. The three cats raced toward the alarmed hiss and saw Ferretwhisker, Dustpaw, and Frostpaw fighting two full grown rouges. Jaypaw hissed and lept and one of the rouges but Greyshallow pulled her back. "You're not skilled enough yet! Go hide in those bushes." Jaypaw grumbled to herself but did what her mentor asked. Under the bushes was cool and shady. Jaypaw strained her neck to see the fight. The rouges were good at fighting, but not as good as the warriors. The three apprentices were all tackling the same one and the mentors warded off the second. Jaypaw watched the apprentices fight. She saw blood splash to the ground and she almost retched at the sight. She was unsure whether it was the rouge's or one of the apprentices'. Then she she looked at the mentors. They were pretty boring to watch so she moved on to the apprentices again. The rouge was ontop of Frostpaw. He was just about to claw her neck when Tawnypaw came and raked her claws on his back. THe rouge hissed and turned on TAwnypaw. She was backed up against a tree. Jaypaw's eyes widened as the rouge loomed over the tortie apprentice, then with one swift move Tawnypaw was lying on the forest floor with her neck ripped open. Chapter 5 Jaypaw retched at the sight of Tawnypaw's mangled body. The sight was unbarable for her. Jaypaw thought of how the rouge fought. If that's what I'm going to turn out like when I'm a warrior, then I don't want to be one! JAypaw turned around and squeezed through the bushes and dashed to camp. When she got there she yelled as loud as she could. "Rouges are attacking! They're at the training hollow! They killed Tawnypaw!" All around cats came out of their cozy dens. "What did she say?" "Rouges?" "Tawnypaw is dead?!" Jaypaw reconized the sound of NIghtivy, Tawnypaw's mother, The black she-cat ran up to Jaypaw. "Is what you're saying true?!" the she-cat was almost hysterical. "Yes..." Jaypaw mewed quietly. NIghtivy raised her fur, "I'll kill those rouges if it's the last thing I do! No one kills my daughters!" the black she-cat raced out of the camp and into the forest. Jaypaw ran to Swiftstar whimpering, "YOu need to send some cat's to help them!" THe big grey tom shook his head, "With Nightivy there they'll be fine. She can get vicious if she looses her kits." Jaypaw was almost in tears, "I don't want to kill cats! It too barbaric! All the blood and wounds make me retch!" Swiftstar comforted his duaghter by holding her close to him. "It's not too late to change your mind about being a warrior Jaypaw. You could become a medicine cat instead. They save lives not ruin them. Is that what you want?" Jaypaw thought over her father's offer, and nodded evEr so slightly. "Yeah... I'll be a medicine cat instead!" "I'll just have to warn you though. Medicine cats have to heal wounds too. Being a medicine cat won't rid you entirely of not seeing wounds and blood. You have to see them in order to heal them." "I'm still going to be a medicine cat." Jaypaw said, confirming her choice. Chapter 6 Jaypaw sat, listening to Spottedfoot as she told her of the basic herbs she should know right away. "Greyshallow's cut opened up again, what do you do Jaypaw?" Spottedfoot meowed. "I get some horsetail in case of infection and bind it with cobweb!" JAypaw said estaticly. "Right. Now treat Greyshallow's wound." Spottedfoot smiled at Jaypaw, "I need to go get some more herbs." Jaypaw was doing well in her change of positions and almost conquered her queasiness around wounds. She was okay with small amounts of blood but she still retched at big open wounds. Tawnypaw's death still hung in the clan. Her mother refused to eat for a half-moon and was in the medicine cat den recovering from loss of food. As Jaypaw treated her former mentor she saw Dustpaw walk past with a mouse in his jaws. Their eyes locked for a split second. Jaypaw quickly looked away before Dustpaw did. After a slight pause, Dustpaw padded into the medicine cat den. "Hey Jaypaw..." he meowed, dropping the mouse at his feet and nudging it over to Jaypaw, "I thought you might be hungry so I brought you this." Jaypaw shook her head, "I don't want it. I'm not hungry. Why don't you give it to your mother?" "Ur.. you're probably... uh.... right." Dustpaw picked up the mouse and gave it to NIghtivy. The she-cat dipped her head and began to eat. "I should probably uh... g-go now." Dustpaw meowed awkwardly. "Uh... okay." Jaypaw mewed, "Have fun with your assesment today. I hope you pass." "THank you." The sandy tom had vanished. Jaypaw shook her head and told Greyshallow she could leave. "Thank you Jaypaw. You are very gifted indeed." the grey she-cat nodded her approval and padded outside with Dustpaw. Jaypaw sighed. THat was her last patient for this morning. Before Greyshallow came Lillypetal with a cracked pad and then Heatherstar, the old leader, who was complaining of a bellyache. Spottedfoot was still gone on her search for herbs. Jaypaw decided she would take a walk around camp. ---- A dusky grey tom with hair missing in thin strips along his back padded through the forest. He cursed silently to himself as a thorn stabbed him in the paw pad. "Gah! THere are so many thorns here it isn't even funny! Then again, plants don't have a sence of humour..." he sighed and plucked the thorn out, then continued on his way. He stopped only at a smll stream to get some water. Then his ears pricked up. "Master," there was a small meow, "Are you here?" "Who is it?" hissed the tom. "It me... Ivy." a small white she-cat appeared in the ushes. The tom's eyes softened, "Oh. It's just you. Why are you away from the den? I told you not to follow me out here?" "I know Master... but the two cats you have sent to kill the small one are back." "They are? What news do they bring?" "Well you'd better come see for yourself." "Alright Ivy I'm coming." The two cats plodded back the way they came. Chapter 7 "You what!?" hissed the grey tom. "I said we couldn't get her. We couldn't find her at all. The mentors hid her." meowed a grey tabby tom. "I can't believe you two! I send you on a valuable mission and you screw it up by killing some other she-cat apprentice? If you left without killing and came back later to find the kit then you wouldn't be in this mess! Now Duskclan will think some random rougues came just to kill someone then leave!" "We're sorry Master but the kit could not be found." another cat said. "Sorry doesn't catch me that kit now does it?" The two cats flinched. Even though the grey tom was way younger than them he had a feirce attitude. "You two will try again... but this time don't fail! You will go tonight at the gathering." the tom continued. "But the gathering has too many witnesses." "Oh well! You failed at doing it like normal feral cats would... now you have to do the alternitive!" ---- Jaypaw was exited. She was chosen to go to the gathering along with Dustpaw and Frostpaw. It would be her first night out of camp since Tawnypaw was cold-bloodedly murdered. She planned to tell other apprentices of the battle she had saw. Spottedfoot told her to censor out the murder though. Jaypaw had agreed. "Hey Jaypaw!" meowed Dustpaw, "Come on! Let's go to the front of the group! We'll be able to get good seat s then!" Jaypaw flicked her brown tail and dashed off behind her friend. The two had grown close from the night of the attack. Jaypaw knew she couldn't have a mate though as she learned it was against the Medicine Cat's code. Jaypaw and Dustpaw sat in the second long row of cats. The leaders were poised up on the great rock. Category:Fanfiction